


half light

by laurelsalexis



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Post-Episode: s02e20 Shadow of a Doubt, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 20:36:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14553030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurelsalexis/pseuds/laurelsalexis
Summary: Please, don’t leave.





	half light

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt fill from some tumblr drabble thing. 
> 
> #3. “Please, don’t leave.”

The sound of the gunshot isn’t as foreign as F.P. would like. His biggest fear in getting Fangs out of there and it came true, all too easily. He can only huff as the sound of yelling is all around him, eyes on Archie and Reggie with the gun, turning to see the blood pooling in Fangs stomach. Jughead is yelling and Sweet Pea looks like he’s about to kill someone, Toni up at Fangs’ head with a fury and worry all her own.  

His hand winds up on Fangs’ stomach, putting pressure on the wound, attempting to stop the blood. They need to get him to the hospital and worry about everything else later. He’s sure that Hiram’s appointed Sheriff won’t do anything and the only ones that actually seem concerned with Fangs are those wearing Serpent jackets.  

God, he’s hated the mob mentality in that fucking town since he was their age, before that even. Coming from the Southside has never done him any favors. It hasn’t changed and now he’s got a bleeding kid who looked scared before the gunshot even hit him. A kid that is his responsibility and look how far that gets him.

“Dad.” Jughead pleads, sharp yet frightened. Still a kid no matter how he might have seemed with the Serpents since the mess began. 

It’s a sound that pulls him completely. “We have to take him to the hospital.” He stands, instructing the boys to help him. One arm ends up around him, pushing Fangs’ weight onto him, and letting Jughead stand on the other side.  

There’s no mistaking the looks between Sweet Pea and Toni, that silent conversation that he’s been able to read since he met them. He grabs Sweet Pea’s wrist as he tries to move away.  

“Don’t.” It’s a command.  

“He shot Fangs. I’m not gonna stand here.” Sweet Pea stares at him, the anger impossible to miss, yanking his arm back.

F.P. knows that without a doubt and he hear the moan that Fangs make. He leans towards him and places his hand on stomach and can feel the way the blood just pools in his hand. He doesn’t have time to police Sweet Pea and most of him doesn’t even want to. Not after everything. “Don’t kill him and don’t get yourself arrested. I’m not having this happen to you, too.” 

“You got it.“  

Sweet Pea disappears into the crowd of people as he and Jughead struggle to actually get Fangs out of there. Luckily, for once in the past few months, the hospital isn’t that far and they can get him there. The crowds have dispersed ever since the gunshot went off and a few of the deputies who aren’t corrupt as fuck are actually managing to do something. It’s not on his mind as he and Jughead struggle to move through the door and to someone who knows what they’re actually doing.  

“What happened?” One of the nurses asks. 

“He was shot.” Jughead replies, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.  

“In the stomach.” F.P. adds. 

“Name?” 

“Fangs Forgarty.“  

The nurse nods as she calls one of the other nurses over so they can take Fangs from them. 

“You're gonna be alright.” F.P. whispers into Fangs’ ear before he’s gone and takes a step back.  

The waiting room is filled with people and their Serpent jackets aren’t exactly gaining them any sympathy. Everyone thinks they know what Fangs did but he didn’t kill Midge. F.P. knows it without even needing to ask it. Not Fangs. He knows a few within the gang who would be capable of murder, but Fangs isn’t one of them.

He takes a seat one of the dumb plastic chairs, letting out a breath, closing his eyes. He has blood all over him. His hands, his shirt, even his jacket that he’ll need to make sure to scrub out eventually. The jacket has seen worse and really, he isn’t even complaining. Not when everything went so far to shit so quickly. He’s worried about everything.

It’s war. 

It was war the moment they arrested Fangs but it’s even worse now. That bullet sealed the deal and he should have forced Sweet Pea and Toni to come with them, but he didn’t. Rather he allowed them to go off and he’s worried. Worried about them like he’s worried about Fangs. At least Jughead is there. He’s not losing his son,  _another_ son, even.

Jughead takes a seat next to him, twirling his phone in his hand, letting out a heavy breath. 

“You going to call Betty?” 

“I don’t know.“  

“Call her.” F.P. suggests, knowing that it’ll make him feel better. “Let her know you’re okay.” 

“Yeah, okay.” Jughead gets up and walks to where there is some semblance of privacy and calls Betty. 

F.P. leans his head against the wall and settles his hands on his lap. He’s tired. That’s the only way to describe it. He hasn’t really allowed himself to process or breathe. He feels like he’s holding his breath ever since he saw Alice. He hasn’t spoken to her. She doesn’t reach out to him so he doesn’t reach out to her. He’s seen less of Betty as Jughead focuses more on the Serpents so it all feels as if it’s the way it’s meant to be.  

There are no excuses he can make to seek her out without things crossing into territories it shouldn’t. It’s something he can accept given how long he’d went prior without speaking to her. It won’t be another twenty-five years and that’s about as much comfort as he has.

Comfort he needs when he hurts so much more than he can even explain. He’s struggling to process everything. Fangs is only the latest casualty and he’s angry. So angry. He’s having trouble controlling it and knows it’s a slippery slope but he hasn’t had a drink so he’s made it that far. He really wishes he had a fucking drink in his hand. 

Jughead plops down next to him once again. “She didn’t answer.” 

F.P. nods, looking over at his son. He looks a little worse for wear but he’s alive. 

“What are we going to do?” Jughead whispers, putting his phone in his pocket.

“Call her back later.” 

“ _Dad_.” 

He doesn’t have a good answer. Not when he doesn’t know if Fangs is even going to make it through the next hour. “We’re going to sit here for a bit.” He tells him. He just needs to sit and process for a moment before they make any grand plans. The wheels in his son’s head are probably already turning but those plans are ran on emotion. Like whatever Sweet Pea is doing is on emotion.

He can’t afford that. He needs to think logically and try to get themselves out of the mess they are in. Such a damn mess. 

That lasts twenty minutes before Jughead needs to do something. That something involves pacing that ends up driving F.P. up the damn wall. He punches the bridge of his nose as he tries his best to not scold his worried son.  

“I’m going to go walk around. Get something to eat.” 

“Good idea.” 

F.P. folds his arms across his chest. He should at least wash the blood off of him but he doesn’t bother. Rather, he just finds himself comfortable. As comfortable as he can be within the hospital waiting room. He’s going to wait for an update and decide what to do from there. 

It’s only when the sound of heels on the tile that fill the room that he even bothers to open his eyes. 

 _Alice_.  

She’s a sight for sore eyes but it doesn’t make him feel better. She had recently. Seeing her was a highlight for him, but as he sits in the chair he isn’t happy. He’s upset and resentful, but understanding. It’s a complicated mix of emotions that he doesn’t know what to do with and doesn’t even want to do anything with them.  

“F.P.” She greets in the Alice tone that is definitely the one married to Hal.  

“Alice.” He looks up at her but doesn’t move from where he is. “And what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“I am here in a reporter capacity.” 

F.P. scoffs. “Bullshit."  

"Don’t make this difficult.” It’s a softer plead, the pain clear in her voice. Not even Alice can mask everything.

F.P. doesn’t look at her and rather, he shakes his head. He unfolds his arms as he sits up a little more proper in the chair. 

“You’re covered in blood.” Alice murmurs with a frown. Her purse rests on a chair and she sits down next to him, a little too close, angling her body towards him. 

He turns to look at her, features soft, unable to help himself. Something about Alice just makes him melt. It annoys him but he would not have it any other way. “It’s not mine.” 

She reaches out and takes his hand in her own, inspecting him, from face to hands, before looking at him in the eyes. “It could have been.” 

“It could have been any of us.” F.P. shrugs and is just glad it wasn’t worse. Not yet, at least. “It still might be."  

"Where’s Jughead?” 

“Stress eating."  

Her hand raises up to his cheek, brushing against him. He flinches in pain he didn’t know was there. "How bad?” 

“You’ll live.” She tells him, not letting go of the small contact. Even if people there can definitely see them. 

“Everything is shit.” F.P. says after a few moments of just staring at her. He needs to break the silence and not fall into something neither of them are capable of handling at the moment. 

Alice pulls back and settles her hands in her lap. She focuses on everything but him. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be.” There’s an instinct in him to comfort her. He wants to. There is so much he wants to say and ignore the own way his heart aches. He wants to hold her and tell her it’s okay. Everything will be okay. That some actions do not define them. He does not of that. Rather he keeps to himself, looking down at his bloodied hands. They’ll talk when the time is right but that’s not now, not when everything around them is chaos. From the Serpents to the Black Hood. “Things good with Hal?” 

“Yeah.” She nods, still not looking at him. “My family is back together.” 

“Good.” He means it but doesn’t mean it. “I’m happy for you Alice.” 

They fall into a silence that is heavy. It’s loaded with so much that is unspoken but neither move to break it. Rather they sit next to each other in a waiting room that only empties further. It’s them with a few other people. Mostly it’s just nurses walking in and out. Never having an update on Fangs. 

It’s causes the anxiety and tension in F.P. to only rise. 

“So, can I get a quote?” 

“So you can trash the Serpents in the Register? When did you even go back?” F.P. tries not to sound as accusatory as he does. Clearly showing how much he fails.

“It was Betty’s idea.” Alice replies simply. “I won’t trash you. I am on your side, F.P.” 

“No, you’re not.” He whispers, turning to her, shaking his head. “You’re not. Publish your article, do what you want, write what you want, and stay in that miserable excuse of a marriage. You can’t be half a Serpent and you have always made your choice.” He swallows, pausing for just a moment. “I don’t mean it to be cruel but you made your choice. You went back to Hal. I can’t have you here.”

“Are we really going to do this now?”

F.P. stands, straightening his jacket, looking down at her. Deep down he knows he’ll do anything for her but right now, he can’t. Not when everything is spiraling out of control. He doesn’t have time to sit there and worry about her,  _them_. “No, we’re not.” He turns to leave. Not that he actually takes a step, rather he swallows back all his emotion. He does his best to breath, running his hands over his face, biting down on his lip. 

“Please,” she whispers, “don’t leave.” 

It’s the words he has wanted to hear for so long. He turns, enough so he can look at her. “You’re quote. Uh,” he pauses, taking his gaze off of her, “I don’t know. The Northside is the true problem in this town and has been since it’s creation. If Fangs dies it’s on them.” 

“F.P.” She stands and takes a step towards him. “ _Please_.” 

“Goodbye, Alice.” It takes everything in him to say that. He turns around and pulls is phone out of his pocket to call Joaquin as he walks away just so he doesn’t let himself go back to her.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr.](http://laurelsalexis.tumblr.com/)


End file.
